6.04 million BTC (30.2% of the market supply) are at risk of potential quantum attacks, according to analysts at Glassnode.
— glassnode (@glassnode) May 20, 2026
The public data of these coins is already accessible on the blockchain, theoretically allowing powerful quantum computers to compute the private keys. Analysts categorized the vulnerable bitcoins into two groups:
- Structural Vulnerability (1.92 million BTC). Public identifiers are visible due to script characteristics. This includes coins from the Satoshi Nakamoto era and modern Taproot (P2TR) addresses.
- Operational Vulnerability (4.12 million BTC). Keys have become known due to user actions: reusing addresses or partial spends.
The operational sector bears the brunt, being twice as large as the structural one. A significant portion of these coins (1.66 million BTC) is held by exchanges.
The situation varies among platforms: Coinbase has only 5% of its assets vulnerable, while Binance's figure reaches 85%, and Bitfinex and Robinhood report 100%. In contrast, government funds from the U.S., U.K., and El Salvador are fully protected.
Source: Glassnode.Glassnode emphasized that the study does not predict the timeline for quantum threats. It merely assesses the current hygiene of wallet management. To mitigate risks, exchanges and users should stop reusing addresses and implement output rotation for spending.
Preparing for Quantum Threats
Developers of digital assets are accelerating the transition to post-quantum encryption. This urgency stems from new forecasts predicting the emergence of powerful quantum computers by 2030.
In April, Google published a study indicating that fewer resources may be needed to break existing encryption methods than previously thought.
Ripple plans to update its infrastructure within two years, focusing on wallet protection. The Ethereum Foundation has also formed a team to develop a roadmap for transitioning to secure algorithms. Plans to protect their networks have been announced by Circle and TRON.
Senior analyst at Bernstein, Gautam Chughani, commented to the FT that the industry's preparation could take three to five years and cost "several billion, if not hundreds of billions of dollars."
The biggest challenge will be with Bitcoin. The network is decentralized, and transitioning to new cryptography requires coordination that is currently lacking.
“Bitcoin has no leader,” noted RippleX's head of engineering, Ayo Akinyele.
According to him, there are many proposals, but no single solution exists to protect all holders.
Some experts believe the threat is exaggerated.
“This is a theoretical computer that does not yet exist. The danger is a matter of decades,” said Kostas Halkias, chief cryptographer at Mysten Labs.
He argues that vulnerabilities to AI are far more serious.
Akinyele countered that skeptics underestimate artificial intelligence. Last month, Nvidia unveiled AI models that accelerate the development of quantum computers.
“AI is helping to bring the quantum threat closer. We cannot react after the fact,” he added.
It is worth noting that in May 2026, Cisco's global director of innovation, Guy Didrich, announced that the company would prepare its network infrastructure ahead of the quantum leap.